Apparatus for heating wire



Dec. 15, 1936.

w. H. CONVERS 2,064,589 APPARATUS FOR HEAT'ING WIRE Filed April 28, 1932M y W ATTOR EYG .fatented Dec. 15, 1936 UNITED STATES APPARATUS FORHEATING Wm Wilber H. Oonvera, Poughk eepsic, N. '2.

Original application December 31, 1930, Serial No. 505,704. Divided andthis application April 28, 1932. Serial No. 607,034

11 Claims. (cl. 210-11) This invention relates to an apparatus or deviceior annealing or oxidizing a moving wire during its travel through thedevice. It is a division of my application, Serial No. 505,704,

filed December 31st, 1930. The invention is especially adaptable ior thepurpose oi annealing wire which is to be insulated. 'Ihe device may beinstalled in a wire insulating machine, or in other machines where it isdesired to anneal the wire Ma high rate oi speed or at the same rate. oispeed as that at which the wire moves through the machine to which thedevice is attached. The" invention is very suitable for use where it isdesirable to clean or prepare the suriace oi bare wire before it iscoated with insulation. The wire may be only annealed, or, by increasingthe temperature the wire may be oxidized, ii desired.

In the usual method now employed ior annealing wire, the wire aiterbeing wound upon spools o is placed in an oven and brought to therequired heat ior annealing, depending upon the sine oi the wire, etc.In this method. any soap or grease compound used in drawing the win tosize, which is wound up with the wire on the spools and annealed in theoven, is deposited upon the suriace oi the wire. When this soap orcompound is covered with insulating material it ,will cause spots in theinsulation. The same sort of trouble mayoccurwhenthewireispassedthroughaheated pipe or oven, or brought into contact with a flame or otherdirect heating means, either in a suitable chamber or exposed to theair.

Prior annealing methods are slow. require much handling, labor andexpense and another 35 great disadvantage in such methods and in thedevices ior carrying out such methods is that the heated wire willstretch or elongate under any strain while itis hot. This is especiallytrue oi the smaller sizes oi wire, and this elongation of the heatedportion oi the wire makes it hard to ieed through 'an automatic windingmachine ior winding the wire into a 0011, etc. In some cases, thediameter oi the wire will be reduced by the stretch, thus rendering ituniit ior many 5 electrical purposes, due to increased resistance causedby the reduced diameter oi the wire.

' with my invention it has been iound that a speed oi 400 to 800 ieetper minute ior #40 gauge wire and 200 to 800 ieet per minute ior #80gauge wire can be employed without any noticeable stretch or elongation.With the degree oi the annealing heat under perfect control, speedshigherthanthiscanbeeasilyreachedwithout objectionable or appreciableelongation oi the 50 wire.

One oi the objects oi my invention is to provide apparatus ior annealingor oxidizing a wire in a continuous manner during the travel oi the wirethrough the apparatus.

Another object oi this invention is to provide 1 means whereby, duringthe heating oi the wire. no elongation or stretch oi thatportion oi thewire which is being heated or any other portion oi tlze wire takes placeduring such heat treatmen Still another object is to provide apparatus10 whereby the wire is rendered iree irom oil and ioreign matterpreparatory to its being coated or enameled, when coating or enameiingoi the wire is desired. 15

A i'urther object is to provide automatic means so that when heat is tobe applied through an electric current to successive portions oi thewire. the electric current is turned on and oil by the travel oi thewire in such a manner that should the wire become stationary, thecurrent and therefore the heat will be reduced to prevent melting oroverheating oi that portion oi the wire that is at that instant inposition to be heated and the current is turned on when the travel oi fthe wire attains a predetermined rate oi speed. Also provision is madewhereby variations in the speed oi travel oi the wire will not cause amciable variations in the degree oi annealing.

While I show and describe herein anillustra- '56 tive embodiment oi asuitable apparatus ior carrying out my invention, it is understood thatmodifications may be employed, such, ior example, as a duplication oiparts and change in materialandthatthedevicemaybeenclosedorenu posed totheair. and that suitable changes maybemadetosuitittodiiierentsiaesoiwireorto wire of diiierent material ormetals. also that by suitable housing the device can be operatedsothattheannealingtakesplaceinthepresence o oi inert gases, steam, etc.to prevent tarnish iormlngonthesuriaceoithewireduetoths annealingoperation. a

My invention comprises certain construction andcombination oi partsillustrated, ior example. a intheaccompanyingdrawinginwhichl'lg.l is aside view oi the device showing it installed nearawireinsulatingmachine;rig. iisanenlarged side elevation oi a portion oi the device. Fig. 3 isa iront elevation oi the same. shown u partlyinsection;I'lg.4isascctional vlew,tahen 'onthelineA-A oirig.3;l lg.tkasideelevation oi the wheel ior suspending the wire during the heating; Fig. 6shows-how the electric current,thatissuppliedtotbedevicemaybevariedwithll in certain limits, and inproportion to speed changes in the rate or travel of the wire; Fig. 7shows a modification by which automatic control of the current canbesecured.

The device as here illustrated comprises a base ll of insulatingmaterial, and to which are secured the two uprights II and II which areformed at their upper ends with aligned bearings l2 and i2 orasinglesupport may be used if desired.

A rotor comprising two sheaves or wheels II and II formed of a goodelectrical conductor such as brass, are secured together side by side bymeans of bolts or rivets it which are insulated therefrom by theinsulating bushings ll and the washers i1, while the sheaves II and itare separated by a disk ll of insulating material, in such a manner thata sheave i8 is electrically insulated from the sheave I l.

The sheave ll is formed with a stud shaft ll projecting from its outerface and adapted to rotate freely in the bearing II. The outer end ofthis stud shaft I9 is pointed as shown at II and contacts with a flatspring II, which is secured to the upright H by the screw 22. If acentral upright is employed, as mentioned above, the two sheaves may bemounted one on each side thereof, and the spring 2! may be hinged to asuitable base so that by removing the spring from contact with the endof the shaft the wire may be readily placed on or taken from the wheel.

This sheave I4 is also formed on its inner face with a bore 23 extendingpartway therethrough in line with the stud shaft it. Within this bore 28is mounted a cup-shaped bushing 2|, and within this bushing 24 issecured one end of a shaft 2|, the other end of which is freelyrotatably mounted in the bearing I! of the upright H. The shaft 2! ispointed at the end as shown at I! and is in contact with a flat springII. The shafts It and It thus rotate in the bearings i2 and i2 andcontact with the springs 2i and Ii.

The sheave II is recessed as at 21. Within the reces 21 are pivoted onpivots a two contact arms 2! which are formed with weighted ends llwhich, when the sheave it is rotated. will by centrifugal force moveoutwardly and bring the arms It into'contact with the shaft II thusestablishing an electrical connection between the sheave II and theshaft II. This connection is broken by the springs 46 when the wheel I 3stops its rotation or reaches a sufficiently low speed to enable thesprings I! to overcome the centrifugal force.

The uprights II and ii are connected by lead wires 82 and 33,respectively. to an electrical transformer 31 or other source of currentwhich in turn is connected to a power line II and It, the amount ofcurrent from which is governed by a rheostat 31 connected in saidpowerline. Each of the sheaves l3 and It thus constitute a terminal ofthe electric circuit.

Above the device and at some suitable distance (which may be varied tosuit conditions) is mounted a single sheave or wheel it which is bearim.

Thewire tobeannealediscarriedfroma EPW890017 tothesheave .aroundwhichitis given approximately me turn. and is then carried up and around thesheave N, then down to the sheave l3, around it and'to the idler wheelII, to the applier l! for coating material, the oven l4 and thence tothe wheel 40 and take up spool 41. I

It is understood that the sheave I. may be located at a predetermined oradjustable distance from the sheaves l8 and il depending upon the sizeofthewiretobetreated, thelengthoftima required for each treatment and thedegree of 10 heat applied. In the application of electrical heat asherein shown, the electrical current may be of any desired voltage beingcontrolled by a rheostat and automatic means applied to the device. Inthis particular it may be here stated 18 that while I have shown anautomatic switch built into the wheel, that this may be located inconnection with any of the moving parts or other pulleys or wheels andmay be of any suitable construction to open and close an electricalcircuit U by the change of speed of travel of the wire.

In the automatic control illustrated in Iig. O of the drawing, I haveshown a governor applied to the sheave 42 comprising a ball governor llsimilartothattypeusedinphonogr vhaetaao I arranged that speedvariations, such as would occur during starting and stopping, will varythe current and thus insure an even annealing, this being accomplishedby a sliding collar ll mounted on the shaft II to which is pivotallysecured one end of the ball arms II. The collar II is formed withagroove it within which is placed one end of a pivoted arm N, the otherend of which forms the arm for the rheostat it which is connected thespeed of travel is reduced and will tend to fuse thewire.Alsoifthespeedofthewire creased the flow of current must be increased toanneal properly and it is highly duirahle the annealing temperature bekept at the proper amount at all times. I

By having a rheostat or controlling arm operated by the sliding collarII, the pivot of thearmbeing atl|,the armcanbemadeto move over asuitable row of contacts of the rheorent for annealing.

Where no speed variations are encountered in operation, a simplearrangement, as shown in Pig. '1, may be employed. The motor '0 drawsthe wire ll and winds-it on the spool II by the belt II and pulley 62. Ihave shown the primary of the transformer 88 and leads N to the motor 02com nected in parallel to the power line ll so that as themotorisstartedthedroplnvoltagelcrm the terminals will drop acrou the transformer andas the motor comes up to speed the current will increase also inproportion. The secondary d6 oftransformer "isusedfor annealingandl havefound this entirely satisfactory provided a commutator starting type ofmotor is employed.

The simple centrifugal switch shown in M 8andlwillsumceirasmallamountofimannealed (0 wire is not obiectionable atthe start and lop of the operation.

In the operation of the device. it will be seenthatpartofthewirellwhichtravellupm the sheaveltothesheaveflandbacktothe" sheave I3 is always in the electricalcircuit between the sheaves I3, I4 and acting as a resistance to thecurrent is heated and annealed during its travel from the sheave I3 tothe sheave I4, but that part of the wire leading fromthe supply spool Mto the sheave I4 and from the sheave l3 to the idler 42 is cold and asthe two sheaves l3 and I4 are secured together they move in synchronism.Therefore, as the wire 40 is pulled from the sheave I3, the sheave I4simultaneously turns the same amount. No elongation strain is exerted onthe hot portion of the wire 40 between the sheaves I3 and I4, this partof the wire traveling freely. It is important that just sufiicienttension be employed to keep the wire 40 in good electrical contact withsheaves I3 and I4, there being an expansion and contraction on heatingand cooling the wire, so the wire should be slightly free to accommodatethis action on the sheaves.

These portions of the wire which are in contact with the sheaves I3 andI4 act as contacts for leading the current to that portion of the wirewhich is looped up from the sheaves I3 and I4 to the sheave 38. Due tothe heat conductivity of the sheaves I3 and I4, thewire which is incontact therewith is not heated and the sheave with which the heatedwire comes into contact aids in cooling the wire. That portion of thewire which is being heated by the electric current may, if de sired, bepassed through a chamber and heated by any other suitable means.

Also the distance between the device and the pulley 38 may be varied asdesired to govern the length of wire being heated and also the devicemay be so arranged that the sheaves I3 and I4 may be mounted on acentral bearing and the springs 2| hinged so that the wire may be placedthereon from the side and not have to be threaded between the uprightsII and II. It is also understood that direct current could be usedinstead of alternating, with suitable changes.

I claim:

1. In an apparatus. of the class described, means for exerting tensionupon a wire, means for forming a portion of said wire into U-shape andheating said U-shaped portion while moving said wire longitudinally,means for transmitting said tension from one part of said wire toanother part by by-passing it around said portion being heated, andmeans for varying the length of the portion being heated.

2. In an apparatus of the class described, means for moving a wirelongitudinally and forming portions thereof into U-shape and heatingsaid portions in succession, means controlled by the speed of movementof said wire to vary the amount of heat applied thereto, and means forrelieving tension on the portions of said wire as they are being heated.

3. In an apparatus of the class described, means for moving a wirelongitudinally and forming portions thereof into U-shape and heatingsaid portions in succession, means controlled by the speed of movementof said wire to vary the amount of heat applied thereto, means forrelieving tension on the portions of said wire as they are being heated,and means for cooling said wire at the end of said heated portions.

4. In an apparatus of the class described, means for moving a wirelongitudinally and iorming portions thereof into U-shape and heatingsaid portions in succession, means controlled by the speed of movementof said wire to vary the amount of heat applied thereto, means forrelieving tension on the portions of said wire as they are being heated,and means for cutting off the heat when the speed of movement of saidWire becomes less than a predetermined amount.

5. In a device for heating wire, means for subjecting said wire to anelectric current for heating a portion of it while it is being moved,means to prevent strain from being placed upon that portion of the wirewhich is being heated, and means controlled by said wire for breakingthe electric current when the wire moves at a speed below apredetermined amount,

6. In a device for heating wire, means whereby continuous movement isimparted to the wire, electrical means for heating a portion of themoving wire, means to prevent elongation strain from being imparted tothat portion of the wire which is being heated, and means controlled bysaid wire for closing the electrical current of said heating means whenthe movement of the wire has reached a predetermined rate of speed.

'7. In a device for heating a wire, a pair of coaxial rotating elementsinsulated from each other and connected toa source of electricity,andmeans to cause said wire to contact with said elements at separatedpoints along said wire.

8. In a device for heating a wire, a pair of coaxial sheaves rotating atthe same peripheral speed and insulated from each other, a source ofelectricity connected to said sheaves, said wire passing around saidsheaves in succession.

9. In a devicefor heating a wire, a pair of sheaves rigidy connectedtogether and rotating side by side at the same peripheral speed andinsulated from each other, a source of electricity connected to saidsheaves, said wire passing around said sheaves in succession and arotatable element over which said wire passes between said sheaves.

10. In a device for heating a wire, a pair of rotating elementsinsulated from each other and connected to a source of electricity,means to cause said wire to contact with said elements at separatedpoints along said wire, and centrifugal means carried by one of saidrotating elements to close the connection to said source of electricitywhen this element is rotated.

11. In a device for heating wire, means for subjecting said wire to anelectric current for heating a portion of it while it is being moved,means to prevent strain from being placed upon that portion of the wirewhich is being heated, and an element carried by said first-named meansand operated by centrifugal force to complete said electric currentconnection.

WILBER' H. CONVERS.

